Sinclair C5 and recumbents

My little story about cycling.

I write you today to report my little experience in the world of recumbents, from a country where recumbents are seen as "that strange things".. bikes are for kids, and cars.. Well if you don't have one, you are doomed :(

What i drive, err cycle (!), is a Sinclair C5 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinclair_C5), not fully a recumbent, not fully a velomobile..

It's a fantastic vehicle ! I found it's story online back in year 2000, then i found one in a scrapyard in 2006, i paid it according to the weight (!), it took quite a number of after dinner to fully restore it and put back on the road, and now I'm having my fun time !

Not having ever owned a moped or motorbike, my principal way of moving has always been the bicycle. I got my first "racing" cycle from one of my uncle, dated circa 1960 (or 70s), iron made, rusty and heavy, but it rolled anyway. I never saw the bike as sport related, in fact i never enjoyed sport, neither competition: I just cycled to move.

Now i ride the C5. I use to do some shopping in the near city (10km to go, 10km to get back, mostly hilly place), i use it to see friends or escape the evening hot during this summer.

What i can say is that i found the kind of vehicle that can be really seen as an alternative to the car for moderate trip and for little business too. Nice seat, good drive/visibility, big trunk, good aerodynamics and a motor to assist uphill.

I'm really happy and i feel good too about taking a 23years old vehicle back on the road and showing that it can be useful. From people i get mixed talks: some are curious, others wanted to buy it immediately, other just say that it is a toy, others are scared to find themselves in the middle of the traffic so low on ground.

The funny part is when i ask them if a bike would be more safe in that situation.. Yes ! They say, but they never tried so.. Just think that some of them... Don't have a bike in their garage ! How they can live without? And I'm not kidding !

What i cannot understand too, is that they don't see the bicycle as a transport alternative. They cannot see something with pedals to push as something to use to move. They got trained to seat and push a pedal (in car), and they are used to get to gym to push some static machines to exercise.. But they cannot link the two concept together (! - and save time).

Often friends ask me "why you do that"? Why you want to look "strange", why you cycle? Why do you put yourself at risk? Why do you want to be so different?
I just smile, and answer saying "it all about passion and interest, in my life".

Real alternative to cars are so called, "velomobiles" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velomobile), modern models can costs up to 10000$ of dollars, are hand made and use some extreme tech solutions that keeps them from mass adoption by the normal user, plus add the big market of low-end bikes that fool you thinking that the price of a bike should be as low as 150$..

I'm happy with my C5, even if it has quite a number of tech defects, it reminds of a man (Sir Clive Sinclair) that had a dream (after 1970s oil crisis), invested privately 12 million of pounds (in 1980s) and wanted people to try an alternative to the car, to have it at a reasonably price and mass produced. That was a dream! That was passion!

What about a new re-engineered C5 nowadays? A body semi-enclosed vehicle, with gears, an electric motor, a trunk, a seat, 3 wheels and a price tag of 2000$? Are there some real alternative to oil propelled vehicles?

Meanwhile, run my little C5, run !